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TC?
325 base 450 tc
Thanks for doing this. How does it feel to have higher salary than Jerome Powell?
Undergrad major and MBA focus? What was your path to current role?
Applied Math, Quant finance at Wharton.
IB for 2 years and shifted to my current role after.
Wouldn’t recommend though.
Why wouldn’t you recommend? Would you have preferred to go straight to your current role?
What are your views on breaking into Quant Hedge funds from a MFE?
Currently doing a master’s in Financial Mathematics from Johns Hopkins part time while working for a retail brokerage - goal is to get into prop trading / options market making but would love to hear what your opinion might be on opportunities in the Quant Hedge Fund space and what skills they are looking for vs prop trading / market making.
Definitely doable.
From my experience if you are competent enough/ have qualifications it really comes down to connections.
Job is great and I enjoy it more than my IB days but definitely a tax. Exhausted 24/7, have some friends in sales who work 1/2 the time and make the same money which is frustrating but if you’re willing to grind it’s worth it.
Thanks for the reply!
Another quick question for you as well: how does the interview process for quant hedge funds differ from that of market makers / prop shops; that is, if you’re familiar with that side.
For market makers, depending on the role: mental math, stochastic calculus, linear algebra and options pricing theory, the green book etc.
What topics are most hit on typically in an interview for a quant hedge fund / what would you recommend someone study for prep?
what type of sales?
Can you talk about your schedule on a normal day?
Also, what is the most important technical skill you have in your opinion?
Are purely Quantitative HF strategies superior to fundamental (but with a bit of quantitative analysis)?
Do you see one as being a better place to be than the other?
What skills are most important for quants at large AM firms? Within an AM firm (say BlackRock), how does their quant team SAE differ from traditional hedge funds like Citadel, 2sig, DE shaw? How does entry compensation and trajectory/ceiling at AM firms compare to prop shops?
What desks/roles in S&T do you think lend themselves most to quant roles?
Any books you would recommend to someone who is interested in learning more about the quant finance field?
More Money than God, little book of hedge funds, Fundamentals of Investing, The Essays.
Thanks for the help. I am a rising senior at USC studying Finance and CS. Doing S&T this summer at Goldman and IB next summer (I know doing a summer analyst in IB after graduating which is a bit weird - figured out finance was for me very late). I am really in love with public markets and the cause/effect relationships on why things happen. I had a chance to attend a fellowship at DE Shaw and really loved it and am very sure I want to work at a long/short equity or multi strategy fund. Even if I can’t get DE shaw, citadel, p72, I am totally fine trying to find a smaller shop who would want to have me. I just didn’t feel working at an investment bank has been best for me. I would appreciate your honest advice on what you would recommend doing.
Perhaps I am getting your role and skills mixed up with those of an option market making quant trader, but would you say being good at mental math is an advantage at all in your field?
I go to GMU, a not prestigious school, how can I stand out on applications for ib or preferably hedgefunds. I am really good at math, but not sure how to leverage that given my unis prestige or lack thereof
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